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FCC Rules on FOSS and Software-Defined Radio

The Software Freedom Law Center, provider of pro-bono legal services to protect and advance Free and Open Source Software, today released a white paper that considers new U.S. Federal Communications Commission rules, which go into effect today, governing Software-Defined Radio devices.

NEW YORK, July 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Software Freedom Law
Center (SFLC), provider of pro-bono legal services to protect and advance
Free and Open Source Software (FOSS), today released a white paper that
considers new U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules, which go
into effect today, governing Software-Defined Radio (SDR) devices.

In the white paper, SFLC explains why the FCC's new rules do not
restrict independent development and distribution of FOSS made for use in
SDR devices. This is because the FCC's new rules only apply to hardware
manufacturers who distribute SDR devices, regardless if they use FOSS in
them or not. However, the FCC does acknowledge the importance of FOSS --
specifically identifying the GNU/Linux operating system -- and expressly
encourages its use in SDR devices.

"We applaud the FCC for recognizing the importance of Free and Open
Source Software in wireless devices," said Matt Norwood, SFLC Counsel.
"Although the rules subject FOSS to a higher level of scrutiny to satisfy
security requirements for SDR devices, we see this as a strong step forward
in clarity that will lead to further discussion and adoption of Free and
Open Source Software."

Software-Defined Radio devices are radios that are highly configurable
by software. Unlike an AM or FM radio, an SDR device is a generic device
that can be reprogrammed to operate in various modes. Today, SDR devices
are most often used in cell phones and wireless network cards. They are
expected to be used in a greater variety of devices in the future.

The Software Freedom Law Center -- directed by Eben Moglen, one of the world's leading experts on copyright law as applied to software -- provides
legal representation and other law-related services to protect and advance
Free and Open Source Software. The Law Center is dedicated to assisting
non- profit open source developers and projects. Visit SFLC at
http://www.softwarefreedom.org.